Prevalence of antiphospholipid and antioxidized low-density lipoprotein antibodies in rheumatoid arthritis.

Antiphospholipid antibodies characterize the antiphospholipid syndrome (APS), but they can also be found in various autoimmune, infectious, and malignant conditions. This study's objectives were to detect the prevalence of antiphospholipid and antioxidized low-density lipoprotein (anti-oxLDL) antibodies among patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who did not have clinical manifestations of APS. Using a standard enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), we evaluated the levels of immunoglobulin G (IgG) and IgM anticardiolipin, IgG, and IgM anti-beta-2-glycoprotein-I (anti-beta(2)GPI), and anti-oxLDL autoantibodies in 82 patients with RA.

Early atherosclerosis in rheumatoid arthritis: effects of smoking on thickness of the carotid artery intima media.

This study was designed to compare intima media thickness (IMT) of the carotid arteries among rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients and controls and to determine whether disease-associated characteristics, smoking, and other classic risk factors for atherosclerosis are associated with IMT values. IMT was measured in the carotid arteries of 101 RA patients and 75 control subjects. The IMT was evaluated in the common carotid (CC), carotid bifurcation (BI), and internal carotid (IC).